The Harrison Township Historical Society’s commemoration of the first air freight shipment of fresh produce in the United States is returning on Saturday, May 18th – almost exactly 102 years after 1000 pounds of asparagus was shipped on a Fokker monoplane from Mullica Hill to Boston. The Mayor of Boston and the Governor of Massachusetts enjoyed fresh South Jersey asparagus that evening, and the event received national news coverage. Our festival celebrates this historic first that happened right here in Mullica Hill!

The festival’s centerpiece event, the “Battle of the Chefs” asparagus tasting competition, brings together five chefs and three bakers and confectioners vying for the coveted best recipe trophies. This year a panel of celebrity judges will join the public to pick the winner. Tasting Tickets are $20 each and on sale now at Ticketleap. Also new this year, just in time for Spring planting, the Roughwood Center for Heritage Seedways will offer heirloom variety seeds and cookbooks for purchase. Old Town Hall Museum is featuring our new exhibition, Last Call: Taverns and Temperance, and exhibits about asparagus, T-shirt and vintage cookbook sales and children’s activities will take place on the museum’s grounds. And, of course, fresh local asparagus will be available for purchase. A great farm-to-table celebration!

HISTORY HAS NEVER BEEN THIS FRESH!

THE ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL

SATURDAY, MAY 18th, 2024 | 11:30AM - 3:00PM

OLD TOWN HALL | 62 SOUTH MAIN ST. | MULLICA HILL, NJ

The Asparagus Festival is back – bigger and better! The 2024 Festival features more chefs, more exhibits and more fun!

TASTING TICKETS

FIRST AIR SHIPMENT OF PRODUCE, 1922
The first air shipment in the United States of fresh produce occurred on May 17, 1922. That morning, a Fokker monoplane loaded with 1,000 pounds of locally grown asparagus took off from the farm field of W.D. Irede — FIRST AIR SHIPMENT OF PRODUCE, 1922 The first air shipment in the United States of fresh produce occurred on May 17, 1922. That morning, a Fokker monoplane loaded with 1,000 pounds of locally grown asparagus took off from the farm field of W.D. Iredell in Mullica Hill and landed in Boston five hours later.

LOADING ASPARAGUS AT MULLICA HILL STATION
Grown in the area since Colonial times, asparagus heralds the arrival of spring. It became a major crop here in the early 20th century and by the 1920s, Gloucester County was the largest producer of asparagu — LOADING ASPARAGUS AT MULLICA HILL STATION Grown in the area since Colonial times, asparagus heralds the arrival of spring. It became a major crop here in the early 20th century and by the 1920s, Gloucester County was the largest producer of asparagus in the country. As a consequence, Mullica Hill Station became one of the busiest shipping points for this crop and other produce.

ASPARAGUS STILL LIFE
Grown by William D. Iredell of Wolfert Station Road. Some of Iredell’s asparagus was on the historic Mullica Hill to Boston flight that took off from his farm. — ASPARAGUS STILL LIFE Grown by William D. Iredell of Wolfert Station Road. Some of Iredell’s asparagus was on the historic Mullica Hill to Boston flight that took off from his farm.

SWEDESBORO. N J. May 17- Carrying 1000 pounds of fresh vegetables, a five -passenger airplane hopped off at Mullica Hill at 9 (Eastern Standard Time) this morning to deliver the produce for sale in Boston early this afternoon. The plane was piloted by William N. de Wald, accompanied by W. G. Schauffle Jr., traffic manager of a New York aircraft corporation. The plane was scheduled to stop at Mineola, L. I. and then fly to Framingham, Mass. The trip, which is expected to consume less than five hours, was made to demonstrate that produce from New Jersey farms could be cut and delivered to distant markets on the same day.

FRAMINGHAM, May 17- The asparagus special is due at the aviation field here between 3 and 3:30 o'clock, laden with 800 pounds of selected asparagus for the Boston market, the big Fokker plane, piloted by Bert Acosta is making its first agricultural freight trip to Massachusetts. Major Lyons, U. S . A., in charge of aviation in his area, is at the field awaiting the arrival of the big monoplane. President Morss of the Boston Chamber of Commerce is another who will greet Acosta when he brings the big plane to a landing on the army field.

THE ASPARAGUS AIR SPECIAL AT FRAMINGHAM

Unloading crates of the vegetable from New Jersey. Below - Left to Right Dr. A. W. Gilbert of Boston, representing Gov. Cox, and Carlton Scholl, representing Department of Agriculture of New Jersey; Pilot De Wald.

By CARLYLE HOLT, FRAMINGHAM, May 17- Only one mishap marred the trip of the great monoplane F-3, which flew from Mullica Hill, NJ, to the aviation field in Framingham today, loaded with 800 pounds of asparagus and two men, W. G. Schauffler Jr., representative of a Dutch aircraft company, dropped the top off his safety razor while he was shaving in the plane. Mr Schauffler, hastening to Boston with New Jersey asparagus at a rate asparagus never traveled before, thought it might be a good idea to step out of the plane neat and natty when he arrived, so he shaved. When he had finished he waved the razor out of the window of the plane to brush the lather off it, and lost the top. "I hope it did not hit anyone," (Someone made a near joke here about it being a safety razor.) On the field in Framingham there was a fever of excitement. About 30 persons, among them sundry newspaper men, photographers and others, waited for the plane, which was bringing the fresh asparagus from New Jersey to Vincent Balkam of the A. T. Cummings Company, to whom it was consigned. The plan was due to arrive at noon. Gov. Fox and Mayor Curley had been warned to expect some really great asparagus for their luncheon.

Noon Came, but Not the Plane - Noon came, but not the airplane. People on the field left for luncheon. Doubt began to be expressed whether Gov. Cox and Mayor Curley would have their asparagus in time for luncheon. It was imagined they were in Boston, oppressed by official business, but buoyed up by the thought of that asparagus. What must have been their feelings when luncheon came and went without the succulent vegetable. Speculation on this subject filled many weary hours on this subject.

One man did not worry about this at all. He was the driver of the truck, which was to carry the asparagus to Boston. "Say, this is the softest day's work I've put in since I was 9 years old," he remarked. "I don't care if Gus is gray-headed before he gets here." Dr. A. W. Gilbert, Commissioner of Agriculture; Ralph W. Harwood and V. A. Munson, both of the Division of Markets, who were present as a committee to receive the asparagus for the Governor, waited patiently. Mayor Curley so far as could be determined, had no representative waiting for his asparagus. At noon or something after it was announced by T. G. Holcombe, an assistant secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, who was running the show, that the plane would not arrive until 3 o'clock or more.

Three o'clock came and passed. Half-past three went by and then, joy! The plane was observed in the distance, heading for the field. Everybody watched, tranquilly, until all of a sudden it was seen that the plane had turned off. It turned off some more. Finally it began to fly back toward Boston. Then it circled around again, but it was farther away than ever. Gradually the awful realization dawned on the spectators that the winged thing was lost - lost with nothing to guide it but the clouds, and measly, stringy ones at that.

Aerial Steeplechase- Immediately two airplanes were put into action from the field. One was piloted be a man named Moffett and the other by a man called Banks. They pursued the erring plane in a kind of aerial steeplechase, like two sparrows after a hawk, until they managed to get the pilot's attention and get him to the landing field. "I'll be hanged if this is Framingham," were the first words of W. M. De Wald, pilot of the huge plane, as he stepped out of his little nest in the nose of the machine; "This is Worcester. It must be Worcester Framingham is only a step from Wellesley. I know I where it is." That is about all there was to it. The time was somewhere around four hour and a half actual flying, though no two persons agreed on it exactly.

The plane hopped off from Mullica Hill, N. J. at 9:15 stopped at Mineola, L. I. for more than two hours for lunch and gasoline, reached Boston shortly after 3 o'clock, played around there for a while and then went to Framingham. But even so, stops included, seven hours is not so bad for around 400 miles travel. Tomorrow the plane will fly back to New York loaded with candy and other commodities for delivery there - A pound of chocolates now in the plane is destined for Mayor Kylan of New York. The remainder will be disposed of in the usual way except that William Fellows Morgan, president of the Merchants' Association, is to get a pound. The plane proved it could bring 800 pounds of asparagus to Boston from the wilds of New Jersey. Tomorrow it expects to prove it can carry as much stuff back, showing that aviation is a feasible means of express transportation.